Former Michigan State basketball player Keith Appling. MCT

Former Michigan State player Keith Appling wanted in connection to fatal shooting

By Erin Walsh | Last updated May 23, 2021 1:27 PM ET

Former Michigan State University basketball star Keith Appling was named as a suspect in a deadly shooting late Saturday in Detroit.

At around 7:10 p.m., an altercation occurred between a 66-year-old male victim and a 29-year-old man later identified as Appling, police said in a news release. The verbal argument turned physical, and Appling reportedly fired multiple gunshots at the older man.

Appling reportedly fled the scene and is considered "armed and dangerous."

Per Brett Kast of WXYZ Detroit:

BREAKING: Right now @detroitpolice are searching for former MSU basketball star Keith Appling, who is a suspect in a fatal shooting of a 66 year old tonight in Detroit.@wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/9P8yaCYWvV
— Brett Kast WXYZ (@brettkast) May 23, 2021

This isn't the first time Appling has got himself into trouble. He was charged with drug crimes in February 2020 after police said they found a "golf ball-sized" amount of heroin in a vehicle he planned to sell. He was sentenced to 18 months probation in December.

In 2017, Appling plead guilty and was sentenced to a year in jail for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting police.

Appling played basketball for Michigan State from 2010-14 and led the team in scoring during his junior season. After college, he spent time in the NBA G League and was with the Orlando Magic in 2016. He hasn't played professional basketball since 2019.

Erin Walsh

Erin Walsh is a Boston sports fan through and through. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bridgewater State University and currently is in pursuit of her Master's Degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Follow her on Twitter @ewalsh90

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